Lead Mechanical Design Engineer

Gradient’s mission is to cool the world by transforming every home to be more comfortable and healthy for the people who inhabit it — without compromising the environment. Today, heating and cooling equipment emits more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector, and expansion in the use of cooling is projected to double these emissions in the next 30 years. However, comfortable buildings are critical for health and productivity, especially among communities that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Gradient’s vision is a future where everyone has access to comfortable buildings that are fully decarbonized. Our launch product is a direct-to-consumer high-efficiency and low-carbon heat pump.

The ideal Lead Mechanical Design Engineer will join our product development team and lead the mechanical development of Gradient’s second product.  Specifically, the engineer will coordinate a team of mechanical engineers to share design of the system, while doing significant engineering work themselves, and guide this team towards designs that satisfy requirements for user experience, reliability, cost, and manufacturability.  

Responsibilities:

• Own mechanical design of new Gradient’s product, delegating some subsystems to other engineers and owning some subsystems yourself. 
• Grow and develop the mechanical engineers working on your team to make them more effective and experienced
• Incorporate design improvements and prototype methods to improve the user experience and reduce the cost of Gradient’s products
• Run Design for Manufacture (DFM) reviews, and provide DFM feedback on mechanical prototypes and designs. 
• Build upon product requirements and industrial design direction, providing feedback about feasibility and timelines
• Support supply chain management with vendor selection for mechanical components
• Define and perform design verification tests and make recommendations based on results of that testing
• Design sub-assemblies and components in CAD, including sheet metal and plastic parts.
• Develop and maintain excellent documentation, while actively contributing to Treau’s quality system.
• Contribute significantly to the iterative build process and ultimately design products that can be mass manufactured and delivered to customers
• Prioritize and make decisions based while considering tradeoffs between different designs
• Hire new engineers as needed

Desired Qualifications:

• Shared commitment to building world-positive businesses and products, from climate change mitigation to design as a tool for increased human well-being.
• Ability to work with and communicate with engineering and business teams, manufacturing facilities, and partner suppliers.
• Ability to work independently and adapt quickly to a dynamic startup environment, and to seek additional help/resources when needed.
• Experience with rapid prototyping and fabrication of mechanical assemblies.
• Experience with sheet metal design for hand fabricated as well as tooled manufacturing processes.
• Experience with performing tolerance stack-ups.
• Experience with structural analysis and FEA.
• Shipped 1 or more hardware products with 10,000 units or more
• Managed a team of 3-5 engineers
• Expert proficiency in Solidworks.
• BS, MS, or higher degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing best practices.
• Advanced experience with Design for Manufacture and Design for Assembly of systems with mechanical, electrical, and software components. 
• Experience with thermal solutions and IoT products.
• Experience designing mechanical components for outdoor applications.
• Previous experience in the HVAC or energy sector.

Benefits 

• Equity
• Medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance
• 401k
• Paid parental leave
• Commuter benefits
• Unlimited PTO within reason
• Relocation package ( out of state applicants only ) 

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive company. We seek to create a culture where everyone can belong because we believe that people do their best work when they can show up every day as their authentic selves. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives.

Gradient Comfort is an equal opportunity employer. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law.